Apple CEO Tim Cook Claims NSA Has "No Back Door" To Apple Servers

Much has been made of the NSA’s domestic spying program and how the agency has culled data from major Internet companies, and rightly so, but Apple CEO Tim Cook says that his company is having none of it.

In an interview with ABC News, Cook was emphatic. “Much of what has been said isn’t true,” Cook told David Muir. “There is no back door. The government doesn’t have access to our servers. They would have to cart us out in a box for that — and that just will not happen. We feel that, strongly about it.”

It’s great that Apple is firm about its feelings, but feelings only go so far when the NSA is firm, itself. Further, even taking Cook’s word for it that he hasn’t given the NSA keys to the backdoor, that doesn’t mean the agency hasn’t helped itself.

Cook did say that he strongly advocates more transparency with this whole spying mess, and he’s absolutely right on that point. “We need to say what data is being given, how many people it affects, how many accounts are affected. We need to be clear and we have a gag order on us right now, and so, we can’t say those things,” he said.

Here’s hoping Cook and the other tech bigwigs lobbying Congress will be successful on that front.